@%††\\:,,, ,,,:\\††%@
#†\\««,,,, ,,,,««\\†#
#@@#%†\«:, ,:«\†%#@@#
@@%\«::,,, ,,,::«\%@@
#@@#%†\«:, ,:«\†%#@@#
@@@#%†\«:, WINDS ESKER ,:«\†%#@@@
##@@#%†«:, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,:«†%#@@##
#†\\:,,,,, ,,,,,:\\†#
#@@#%†\«:, THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ,:«\†%#@@#
#@@#%†\«:, I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ,:«\†%#@@#
#@@#%†\«:, DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ,:«\†%#@@#
#@@#%†\«:, ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ,:«\†%#@@#
@@@#%†\«:, ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ,:«\†%#@@@
#@@#%†\«:, FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ,:«\†%#@@#
#@@#%†\«:, TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ,:«\†%#@@#
#@@#%†\«:, KEPT ME AWAY. ,:«\†%#@@#
##†\\«,,,, ,,,,«\\†##
##@#%†\«:, WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ,:«\†%#@##
#@@#%†\«:, HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ,:«\†%#@@#
#@@#%†\«:, ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ,:«\†%#@@#
@@@#%†\«:, ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ,:«\†%#@@@
#@@#%†\«:, THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ,:«\†%#@@#
@@%%%†\«:, ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ,:«\†%%%@@
#%\:,,,,,, BLUEBERRIES. ,,,,,,:\%#
#†««::,,,, ,,,,::««†#
@@@#%†\«:, WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ,:«\†%#@@@
#%\««,,,,, NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ,,,,,««\%#
###††\\«:, SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ,:«\\††###
#†\::,,,,, DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ,,,,,::\†#
@@@#%†\«:, WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ,:«\†%#@@@
#@@#%†\«:, STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ,:«\†%#@@#
@@##%†\«:, BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ,:«\†%##@@
@@@#%†\«:, ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ,:«\†%#@@@
@@#†\««:,, THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ,,:««\†#@@
@%††«:,,,, WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ,,,,:«††%@
@@@#%†\«:, ,:«\†%#@@@
##@@#†\«:, THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ,:«\†#@@##
#@@#%†\«:, LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ,:«\†%#@@#
@@%%††\«:, BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ,:«\††%%@@
##@@%†\«:, INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ,:«\†%@@##
#@@#%†\«:, FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ,:«\†%#@@#
@@%\«,,,,, POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ,,,,,«\%@@
@@@#%†\«:, IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ,:«\†%#@@@
##@#%†\«:, UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ,:«\†%#@##
@##%%†\«:, AWAY. ,:«\†%%##@
@@%\:::,,, ,,,:::\%@@
@%%†††\«:, I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ,:«\†††%%@
@@@#%†\«:, ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ,:«\†%#@@@
#%\::,,,,, FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ,,,,,::\%#
#@@#%†\«:, REMEMBER. ,:«\†%#@@#
@##†††\«:, ,:«\†††##@
@%%\«,,,,, CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ,,,,,«\%%@
@@%\«««:,, THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ,,:«««\%@@
@@#%%†\«:, OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ,:«\†%%#@@
#@@#%†\«:, MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ,:«\†%#@@#
####%†\«:, THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ,:«\†%####
#%%†\::,,, INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ,,,::\†%%#
##@@#%†\:, GROUND ITSELF. ,:\†%#@@##
#@@#%†\«:, ,:«\†%#@@#
#%%%%†\«:, SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ,:«\†%%%%#
#†««,,,,,, NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ,,,,,,««†#
@%%\\:,,,, SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ,,,,:\\%%@
@%††\«,,,, THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ,,,,«\††%@
#%†††«,,,, FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ,,,,«†††%#
@@%††«,,,, TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ,,,,«††%@@
@@#††«:,,, THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ,,,:«††#@@
@@@#%†\«:, FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ,:«\†%#@@@
##@#%†\«:, FORK. ,:«\†%#@##
##@#%†\«:, ,:«\†%#@##
#@@#%†\«:, AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ,:«\†%#@@#
@#%\«««,,, THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ,,,«««\%#@
#@@#%†\«:, HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ,:«\†%#@@#
##@@#%\«:, MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ,:«\%#@@##
#†\«««,,,, OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ,,,,«««\†#
@#††«,,,,, ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ,,,,,«††#@
@@@#%†\«:, I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ,:«\†%#@@@
@#†\««::,, FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ,,::««\†#@
@@%%%†\«:, BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ,:«\†%%%@@
##†\:,,,,, ,,,,,:\†##
@#††\\««:, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,:««\\††#@
##%†\:,,,, ,,,,:\†%##
@%\:,,,,,, ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ,,,,,,:\%@
##@#%†\«:, BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ,:«\†%#@##
@@#†\«,,,, ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ,,,,«\†#@@
#†\:::,,,, STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ,,,,:::\†#
#@@#%†\«:, ,:«\†%#@@#
##@@#%†\«: :«\†%#@@##
@@@#%†\«:, ,:«\†%#@@@
###†«,,,,, ,,,,,«†###
#@@#%†\«:, ,:«\†%#@@#